Archives for January 18, 2004

'In what Buffalo Head Coach Lindy Ruff said was a “must win game” the Sabres came out with a less than stellar effort. The New York Islanders used three power play goals to gain the early lead and never looked back in defeating the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 at the Nassau Coliseum.'

'It's just a tease. The Sabres' current lineup simply isn't good enough, or deep enough, to maintain the pace they'll need to reach the postseason. Remember, the 14 points they picked up over the previous 12 games marked their best stretch in years. Now they need to do it almost three more times – over the next 35 games – just to have a shot.'

'The entire scouting staff of the Buffalo Sabres gathered at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial the past two nights to watch their prospects play. They left town knowing the player they drafted in the first round in 2001, center Jiri Novotny, indeed has a future.'

'The Sabres entered the game 6-4-3 in their past 13 and had closed to within three points of the Islanders in the conference standings. But they looked relatively flat against an Islanders team that skated hard from start to finish and never looked back after the quick two-goal lead.'

'In breaking a three-game slide without a victory, the Islanders (21-19-4-1) jumped into a tie with the Rangers for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. "The biggest thing is, we feel we're headed in the right direction," said Ronning, who made his Islanders home debut after signing as a free agent Jan. 9.'

'There is a developing pack of five teams, including the Isles, Rangers, Atlanta, Buffalo and Carolina, that appear ready to fight down the stretch for the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference. The two points earned last night, which may prove to be gargantuan when all is said and done, vaulted the Isles back into the top eight and ahead of the Rangers, and pushed them five ahead of the Sabres.'